Self declaring device for a vehicle using restrict traffic lanes

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides various examples of a self-declaring wireless device installed on a vehicle operable to automatically detect, determine and declare occupancy information of the vehicle traveling on a restricted traffic lane to an electronic toll collection (ETC) system. According to one aspect, a process for performing self-declaration by a vehicle traveling on a restricted traffic lane includes the steps of: receiving sensor data collected by one or more sensors installed on the vehicle; determining occupancy data of the vehicle based on the received sensor data; and controlling a wireless transceiver installed on the vehicle to communicate with an electronic toll collection (ETC) system associated with the restricted traffic lane based on the determined occupancy data.

PRIORITY CLAIM AND RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/147,114 filed Sep. 9, 2018 which, in turn, is aContinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/225,779filed Aug. 1, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,102,685 issued Oct. 16, 2018,which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Patent ApplicationNo. 62/199,993 entitled “SELF DECLARING DEVICE” and filed on Aug. 1,2015. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/225,779 also claims priorityunder U.S.C. 120 as a continuation-in-part to U.S. Ser. No. 14/578,196,entitled “RFID SWITCH TAG,” filed Dec. 19, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No.9,582,746, issued Feb. 28, 2017, which in turn is a Continuationapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/060,407, now U.S.Pat. No. 8,944,337, issued Feb. 3, 2015, entitled “RFID SWITCH TAG,”filed Oct. 22, 2013, which in turn is a Continuation application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/465,834, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,561,911,issued Oct. 22, 2013, entitled “RFID SWITCH TAG,” filed May 7, 2012,which in turn claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNos. 61/487,372 and 61/483,586, both entitled “RFID SWITCH TAG,” filedMay 18, 2011 and May 6, 2011, respectively. The disclosures of the aboveapplication are incorporated by reference in their entirety as a part ofthis document.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The various embodiments described herein generally relate to wirelessdevices, and more particularly to a self-declaring wireless device to beused on a vehicle to automatically declare occupancy information.

2. Related Art

In various jurisdictions around the world, high occupancy vehicle (HOV)lanes or carpool lanes are generally restricted traffic lanes reservedfor exclusive use by vehicles carrying two or more occupants typicallyduring peak commute times. Meanwhile, high occupancy toll (HOT) lanesare becoming a more prevalent feature on modern roadways. In contrast toHOV lanes, single occupancy vehicles (SOVs) may be able to pay a fee(e.g., toll) to travel on HOT lanes.

A conventional HOT system relies on radio frequency identification(RFID) enabled electronic toll collection (ETC) readers and tags. To paythe required toll, an SOV motorist may be required to switch on anonboard ETC tag when entering a HOT lane. Despite oversight from lawenforcement officials, motorists are nevertheless expected to complywith HOV/HOT rules under a self-imposed “honor system.” As such, HOV/HOTenforcement tends to be inconsistent, inconvenient, and ultimatelyineffective.

SUMMARY

Embodiments described herein provide various examples of aself-declaring wireless device installed on a vehicle operable toautomatically detect, determine and declare occupancy information of thevehicle traveling on a restricted traffic lane to an electronic tollcollection (ETC) system.

According to one aspect, a self-declaring device installed on a vehicleis provided. This self-declaring device includes a sensor moduleconfigured to collect data from inside the vehicle; a wirelesstransceiver configured to communicate with an electronic toll collection(ETC) system; and a microcontroller coupled to both the sensor moduleand the wireless transceiver and configured to: receive at least aportion of data collected by the sensor module; determine occupancy databased at least in part on the at least a portion of data; and change anoperation state of the wireless transceiver based at least on thedetermined occupancy data.

According to another aspect, a process for performing self-declarationby a vehicle traveling on a restricted traffic lane is provided. Thisprocess includes: receiving sensor data collected by one or more sensorsinstalled on the vehicle; determining occupancy data of the vehiclebased at least on the received sensor data; and controlling a wirelesstransceiver installed on the vehicle to communicate with an electronictoll collection (ETC) system associated with the restricted traffic lanebased at least on the determined occupancy data.

Other features and advantages of the present inventive concept should beapparent from the following description which illustrates by way ofexample aspects of the present inventive concept.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and operation of the present disclosure will be understoodfrom a review of the following detailed description and the accompanyingdrawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts and inwhich:

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary self-declaring device inaccordance with one embodiment described herein.

FIG. 2 presents a flowchart illustrating a process for making aself-declaration by a vehicle equipped with the disclosed self-declaringdevice in accordance with one embodiment described he.

FIGS. 3-5 are images illustrating an example switch tag configured inaccordance with one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While certain embodiments are described, these embodiments are presentedby way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of theembodiments described or claims included herein. The methods and systemsdescribed herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms.Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the formof the example methods and systems described herein may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of protection.

Embodiments described herein provide various examples of aself-declaring wireless device installed on a vehicle operable toautomatically detect, determine and declare occupancy information of thevehicle traveling on a restricted traffic lane to an electronic tollcollection (ETC) system. Comparing to a manual-declaring device, whichoperates based on an honor system, the disclosed self-declaring devicecan be fully automatic, highly reliable and accurate without relying onhuman honesty. Vehicles using the disclosed self-declaring wirelessdevice can bypass visual checks by law enforcement. As a result, thedisclosed self-declaring wireless device allows for consistent,convenient, and high effective HOV/HOT lane enforcement.

According to one aspect, a self-declaring device installed on a vehicleis provided. This self-declaring device includes a sensor moduleconfigured to collect data from inside the vehicle; a wirelesstransceiver configured to communicate with an electronic toll collection(ETC) system; and a microcontroller coupled to both the sensor moduleand the wireless transceiver and configured to: receive at least aportion of data collected by the sensor module; determine occupancy databased at least in part on the at least a portion of data; and change anoperation state of the wireless transceiver based at least on thedetermined occupancy data.

According to another aspect, a process for performing self-declarationby a vehicle traveling on a restricted traffic lane is provided. Thisprocess includes: receiving sensor data collected by one or more sensorsinstalled on the vehicle; determining occupancy data of the vehiclebased at least on the received sensor data; and controlling a wirelesstransceiver installed on the vehicle to communicate with an electronictoll collection (ETC) system associated with the restricted traffic lanebased at least on the determined occupancy data.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary self-declaring device 100in accordance with one embodiment described herein. Referring to FIG. 1,self-declaring device 100 includes a sensor module 110, amicrocontroller 120, and a wireless transceiver 130, which are coupledto each other by wired connections, wireless connections, or acombination of both.

Sensor module 110 can include one or more sensors including, but notlimited to, a motion sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, and an imagesensor. When self-declaring device 100 is installed on a vehicle, sensormodule 110 can detect and collect data inside the vehicle that can beused to determine a number of occupants in the vehicle. For example, ifsensor module 110 includes a motion sensor, sensor module 110 canacquire motion information inside the vehicle. Note that motion sensorsthat can be used within sensor module 110 can include any types ofmotion sensors which can detect human movement inside a vehicle, whichcan include, but are not limited to a passive IR sensor, a microwavesensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an acoustic sensor, and a vibrationsensor. Alternatively, if sensor module 110 includes an IR sensor,sensor module 110 can acquire IR images, such as thermal images insidethe vehicle. Alternatively, if sensor module 110 includes an imagesensor, such as a CCD or CMOS camera, sensor module 110 can acquireoptical images inside the vehicle. In some embodiments, sensor module110 can include more than one of the same type of sensors describedabove. For example, sensor module 110 can include two or more motionsensors, two or more IR sensors, or two or more image sensors. In otherembodiments, sensor module 110 can include a combination of differenttypes of sensors. For example, sensor module 110 can include both an IRsensor and an optical image sensor. In this example, sensor module 110can use the IR sensor to collect data inside the vehicle at night anduse the optical image sensor to collect data inside the vehicle duringthe daytime.

In some embodiments, sensor module 110 is installed at a location in thevehicle such that the one or more sensors in sensor module 110 candetect intended signals from every seat inside the vehicle. For example,sensor module 110 can be installed near an upper portion of thewindshield. If sensor module 110 includes two or more sensors, the twoor more sensors can be placed at the same location within the vehicle,or they can be placed at different locations within the vehicle. Forexample, if sensor module 110 includes two sensors, the first sensor canbe installed in the front of the vehicle while the second sensor can beinstalled in the back of the vehicle.

In various embodiments, sensor module 110 can be configured to transmitat least some of the collected data to microcontroller 120. For example,sensor module 110 can transmit the collected data through a wired orwireless connection to microcontroller 120. In some embodiments,microcontroller 120 is implemented as a field-programmable gate array(FPGA) or one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs).In other embodiments, microcontroller 120 is a microprocessor chip suchas a CPU. In some embodiments, microcontroller 120 is implemented as aSystem on Chip (SoC).

In some embodiments, microcontroller 120 is configured to receive thedata detected and collected by sensor module 110 (or “sensor data”hereinafter) and to automatically determine a number of occupants in thevehicle based on the received sensor data. For example, if the sensordata include photographic images captured by an image sensor,microcontroller 120 can use an imaging processing module to process thephotographic images to determine a number of occupants in the vehicle.In these embodiments, microcontroller 120 can further determine, basedon determined number of occupants, whether the vehicle is an SOV or anHOV. In some embodiments, microcontroller 120 can also determine whetherthe number of occupants in the vehicle exceeds a minimum number ofoccupants required for a specific HOV lane access in a givenjurisdiction.

In some embodiments, microcontroller 120 is further configured tocontrol an operation of wireless transceiver 130, including making aself-declaration to an ETC system. For example, microcontroller 120 canchange an operation state (e.g., on/off states) of wireless transceiver130 based on the determined occupancy data. In one embodiment, if it isdetermined by microcontroller 120 that the number of occupants in thevehicle does not meet or exceed the minimum number of occupants requiredby an HOT lane, microcontroller 120 can be configured to change theoperation state of wireless transceiver 130 so that wireless transceiver130 can communicate relevant data, such as the determined number ofoccupants (i.e., making a self-declaration) and payment information, toa HOT lane reader. Alternatively, if it is determined by microcontroller120 that the number of occupants in the vehicle does meet or exceeds theminimum number of occupants required by a HOT lane, microcontroller 120can be configured to control wireless transceiver 130 so that wirelesstransceiver 130 either does not self-declare to a HOT lane reader oronly communicates the determined number of occupants to a HOT lanereader without making any payment.

According to one exemplary embodiment, wireless transceiver 130 canoperate at multiple frequencies, such as a high-frequency (HF) and anultra-high frequency (UHF). In this embodiment, microcontroller 120 canchange the operation state of wireless transceiver 130 by changing theoperation frequency of wireless transceiver 130. Alternately or inaddition, in some embodiments, microcontroller 120 can transmit thedetermined occupancy data (e.g., number of occupants, HOV complianceinformation) to wireless transceiver 130. Wireless transceiver 130 cansubsequently transmit at least a portion of the occupancy data to an ETCtoll reader, such as a HOT lane reader.

In some embodiments, wireless transceiver 130 includes one or morewireless communication modules, which can include, but not limited to, aradio frequency identification (RFID) module (such as an RFIDtransponder), a WI-FI module, a ZigBee module, and a Bluetooth® module.In one embodiment, wireless transceiver 130 is configured to bothtransmit data to and receive data from a corresponding reader (e.g., anETC toll reader). Wireless transceiver 130 can use a wired or a wirelessconnection to receive commands and data from microcontroller 120. Asmentioned above, wireless transceiver 130 can receive a command frommicrocontroller 120 to change an operation state, which can include anON/OFF state. For example, wireless transceiver 130 can be turned froman OFF state to an ON state to enable data transmission, includingmaking self-declaration, after receiving a command from microcontroller120. Moreover, wireless transceiver 130 can receive data frommicrocontroller 120 and to subsequently transmit at least a portion ofthe received data, including data for self-declaration. For example,wireless transceiver 130 can receive determined occupancy data frommicrocontroller 120 and subsequently transmit the determined occupancydata to a HOT lane reader as self-declaration. Wireless transceiver 130can be strategically positioned on a vehicle to facilitate communicatingwith an ETC toll reader. For example, wireless transceiver 130 can beplaced on the windshield or integrated with the license plate. In someembodiments, wireless transceiver 130 includes an RFID transponder.

Embodiments of an RFID-enabled license plate (i.e., a license plate withthe integrated wireless transceiver 130) are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.8,344,890 and 9,007,215, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/093,636the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in theirentirety.

It will be appreciated that sensor module 110, microcontroller 120, andwireless transceiver 130 can be coupled with each other via a wiredand/or wireless connection. As such, in some embodiments, sensor module110, microcontroller 120, and wireless transceiver 130 can be placed atdifferent locations on the vehicle. For example, sensor module 110and/or the microcontroller 120 can be placed within the cabin of thevehicle while wireless transceiver 130 can be integrated into a frontand/or rear license plate. In other embodiments, sensor module 110,microcontroller 120, and wireless transceiver 130 are integrated into asingle package inside a protective case. In these embodiments, theself-declaration device 100 can be placed at a location on a vehicle tofacilitate both the operation of sensor module 110 and the operation ofwireless transceiver 130.

In some embodiments, wireless transceiver 130 can include at least oneRFID module configured to interface with multiple RFID systems atdifferent frequencies. Multi-frequency RFID tags are described inReissued U.S. Pat. Nos. RE 43,355 and RE 44,691, the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein in their respective entirety.According to one exemplary embodiment, microcontroller 120 can changethe operation state of wireless transceiver 130 by changing theoperation frequency of the wireless transceiver 130.

FIG. 2 presents a flowchart illustrating a process 200 for making aself-declaration by a vehicle equipped with self-declaring device 100 inaccordance with one embodiment described herein. In some embodiments,process 200 is specifically performed by microcontroller 120 withinself-declaring device 100, and is performed when the vehicle istraveling on a restricted traffic lane.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, process 200 begins with microcontroller 120receiving at least a portion of sensor data collected by sensor module110 installed on the vehicle (step 202). For example, microcontroller120 can receive the sensor data from one or more sensors included insensor module 110, which can include but not limited to, one or moremotion sensors, one or more IR sensors, and one or more image sensors.As mentioned above, sensor module 110 can detect and collect data insidethe vehicle that can be used to determine a number of occupants in thevehicle.

Next in process 200, microcontroller 120 determines occupancy data ofthe vehicle based at least on the received sensor data (step 204). Forexample, microcontroller 120 can determine a number of occupants in thevehicle based on the sensor data. Microcontroller 120 can alsodetermine, based on the received sensor data, whether the vehicle is anSOV or an HOV. In some embodiments, microcontroller 120 can alsodetermine whether the determined number of occupants in the vehiclemeets or exceeds a minimum number of occupants required for a specificHOT lane access in a given jurisdiction.

Next in process 200, microcontroller 120 controls wireless transceiver130 to communicate with an ETC system associated with the restrictedtraffic lane based at least on the determined occupancy data (step 206).Note that in step 206, a self-declaration is included when thecommunication between wireless transceiver 130 and the ETC systemincludes transmitting occupancy information from transceiver 130 to theETC system. In some embodiments, controlling wireless transceiver 130includes enabling the wireless transceiver to communicate with the ETCsystem by changing the operation state of wireless transceiver 130. Forexample, wireless transceiver 130 can be turned from an OFF state to anON state to enable data transmission, including making self-declaration,after receiving a command from microcontroller 120. To enableself-declaration in step 206, microcontroller 120 can transmit thedetermined occupancy data (e.g., number of occupants, HOV complianceinformation) to wireless transceiver 130. An enabled wirelesstransceiver 130 can subsequently transmit at least a portion of theoccupancy data to the ETC system.

In some embodiments, microcontroller 120 enables wireless transceiver130 if the determined number of occupants in the vehicle does not exceedthe minimum number of occupants required by the restricted traffic lane.For example, if microcontroller 120 determines that the number ofoccupants in the vehicle is not greater than one (i.e., SOV),microcontroller 120 can change the operation state of wirelesstransceiver 130 such that wireless transceiver 130 can communicate withan HOT lane reader, for example, to transmit account information and/orexchanging payment information with the HOT lane reader.

In various embodiments, self-declaring device 100 can be used in one ormore account management applications for the vehicle which is equippedwith self-declaring device 100. For example, self-declaring device 100can be used to track the vehicle for purposes of electronic tolling,parking access, and border control. Similar applications are describedin U.S. patent Ser. No. 14/459,299, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,355,398 and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/167,829, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In some embodiments, access to data on self-declaring device 100 can begranted based on a security key. The provision of secure identificationsolutions is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,081,819, 7,671,746,8,237,568, 8,322,044, and 8,004,410, the disclosures of which areincorporated by reference herein in their respective entirety.

Some applications would require a placement of metallic material (e.g.,retro-reflective material, holographic image) over self-declaring device100 and in particular wireless transceiver 130. In order to preserve thetransmission and reception capabilities of wireless transceiver 130, aselective de-metallization process can be employed to treat the metallicmaterial. Selective de-metallization is described in U.S. Pat. Nos.7,034,688 and 7,463,154, the disclosures of which are incorporated byreference herein in their respective entirety.

In certain embodiments, wireless transceiver module can actuallycomprise multiple modules configured to operate, e.g., at differentfrequencies depending on which module is activated or capable oftransmitting. This is similar to transceiver 130 being configured tooperate at different frequencies. In such embodiments, transceiver 130can be configured to switch frequencies based on the informationgathered by sensor module 110. Thus, of the occupancy is determined tobe below that required by a HOT lane, then the transceiver module canuse one frequency to communicate with a reader on the toll system. If,however, the occupancy is determined to meet or exceed the HOT lanerequirements, then the transceiver 130 can communicate using anotherfrequency.

The dual frequencies can be in different bands, e.g., HF and UHF, or cansimply be different frequencies within a single band. In otherembodiments, different bands can be used for different functions, e.g.,tolling versus account management as described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. Nos.RE 43,355 and RE 44,691.

Conversely, a multi module switch tag 300 that can be used fortransceiver 130 is illustrated in FIGS. 3-5. Tag 300 can operatesubstantially similar to the embodiments of the switch tags, e.g.,described in the parent '196 Application, which is incorporated hereinby reference as if set forth in full. Specifically, tag 300 can operatein a similar fashion as that disclosed in FIG. 8 of the '196Application. Thus, tag 300 can comprise a single booster antenna andthree RF modules. The modules can be positioned, e.g., at positions 302,304 and 306 within tag 300. The single booster antenna can be positionedat one positon, e.g., positon 302. The top potion 312 of the body of tag300 can then be rotated, e.g., using gripping features 314, 316 and 318to bring the appropriate RF module into positon, such that it is coupledwith the booster antenna.

Each RF module can be configured to transmit different data to indicatea different status. For example, one module can be configured totransmit data indicating that the occupancy of the vehicle meets orexceeds that required by a HOT lane, while another can be to transmitdata indicating that the occupancy does not meet or exceed that requiredby the HOT lane. Alternatively, the HOT lane may be configured such thatdifferent charges apply depending on the occupancy, such that there aremultiple charge levels. Thus, each of the RF modules included in tag 300can be associated with different occupancy levels or numbers and cantherefore transmit information related to the associated occupancylevels or numbers. For example, one RF module can be associated withsingle occupancy, one with occupancy of 2 people, and the third with anoccupancy of three people or more. A user can then rotate top portion312 to the appropriate position based on the occupancy.

In alternative embodiments, tag 300 can comprise three booster antenna,e.g., configured to operate at different frequencies and single RFmodule. The different frequencies would then indicate the occupancylevel or other settings associated with the positons 302, 304, and 306,respectively.

There should be some indication of which position is associated withwhat occupancy or other setting. Thus, tag 300 can comprise a window 308that is configured to reveal a color coded area 307 that is part of topportion 312. Thus, as portion 312 is rotated, portion 310 comprisingwindow 308 remains still. Portion can then include colored areas 307that are positioned such that a different colored area 307 comes to restbehind window 308 depending on which RF module, or booster antenna is inthe operational position.

For example, red can be used to indicate single occupancy and green formultiple occupants. If there are different charges for, e.g., twooccupants versus three or more, then a color can be associated with eachof two occupants and three or more. The user would then rotate topportion 312 until the appropriate color are 307 appears behind window308.

FIG. 4 illustrates a rear view of tag 300 in accordance with oneembodiment. It should be noted that tag 300 is configured to be mountedin the window of a vehicle with the rear portion 324 facing outward fromthe vehicle. A mounting bracket or mechanism, such as bracket 322 can beused to mount tag 300 to the window. Bracket 322 can have adhesives,suction devices, Velcro, etc., attached thereto in order to achieve themounting of tag 300. Back portion 324 can be coupled with portion 310 onthe reverse side, such that portions 310 and 324 do not rotate as topportion 312 is rotated.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, in certain embodiments a window 326 can alsobe included in back portion 324 in order to reveal colored areas 320 onthe back surface of top portion 312. The colored areas 320 can match thecoloring scheme associated with areas 307 on the front surface of topportion 312. This can enable visual verification and enforcement forauthorities. In other words, if a single occupant driver switches thepositon of tag 300 to one that indicates multiple occupancy, then thecolored area 320 behind window 326 will indicate multiple occupancy. Anenforcement official can see the color through window 326 and canconfirm whether it is appropriate. For this reason, window 326 istypically larger than window 308, which is only viewed from within thevehicle.

The windows can also be used to detect that the position of tag 300 isoff, whether intentionally or not. For example, if the user has notfully rotated top portion 312 to the correct position, then colored are307 and 320 will not be aligned behind windows 308 and 326 respectively,as illustrated in FIG. 5, providing a visual indicator to both theoccupants and enforcement officials that tag 300 is not operational, orappropriately positioned. A top surface of back portion 324 can also becolor coded to help indicate misalignment to the occupants.

Thus, the sensor information provided by sensor module 110 can be usedto confirm the physical positon of a tag such as tag 300. For example,if a single occupancy driver positons tag 300 to indicate a multipleoccupancy setting, then the sensor data would not match the occupancyindication being provided by tag 300. This can cause controller 120 tocause the RF module to transmit some type of error code that indicatesthat the occupancy information being transmitted is incorrect, or it maycause tag 300 not to transmit at all. In alternative embodiments,wireless transceiver 130 may be separate from tag 300 and may transmitseparate information that can be read and compared to that beingcommunicated by tag 300.

The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover suchforms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of theprotection. For example, the example apparatuses, methods, and systemsdisclosed herein can be applied wireless communication devicesincorporating HF and/or UHF RFID reader capabilities. The variouscomponents illustrated in the figures may be implemented as, forexample, but not limited to, software and/or firmware on a processor,ASIC/FPGA/DSP, or dedicated hardware. Also, the features and attributesof the specific example embodiments disclosed above may be combined indifferent ways to form additional embodiments, all of which fall withinthe scope of the present disclosure.

The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams areprovided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to requireor imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed inthe order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the artthe order of steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in anyorder. Words such as “thereafter,” “then,” “next,” etc. are not intendedto limit the order of the steps; these words are simply used to guidethe reader through the description of the methods. Further, anyreference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using thearticles “a,” “an” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting theelement to the singular.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, andalgorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, orcombinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability ofhardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules,circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

The hardware used to implement the various illustrative logics, logicalblocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspectsdisclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purposeprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) orother programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor maybe a microprocessor, but, in the alternative, the processor may be anyconventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. Aprocessor may also be implemented as a combination of receiver devices,e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSPcore, or any other such configuration. Alternatively, some steps ormethods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a givenfunction.

In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or moreinstructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium or non-transitory processor-readable storage medium. The steps ofa method or algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied inprocessor-executable instructions that may reside on a non-transitorycomputer-readable or processor-readable storage medium. Non-transitorycomputer-readable or processor-readable storage media may be any storagemedia that may be accessed by a computer or a processor. By way ofexample but not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable orprocessor-readable storage media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, FLASHmemory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used tostore desired program code in the form of instructions or datastructures and that may be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, asused herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc,digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disksusually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce dataoptically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also includedwithin the scope of non-transitory computer-readable andprocessor-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method oralgorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/orinstructions on a non-transitory processor-readable storage mediumand/or computer-readable storage medium, which may be incorporated intoa computer program product.

Although the present disclosure provides certain example embodiments andapplications, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art, including embodiments which do not provide all of thefeatures and advantages set forth herein, are also within the scope ofthis disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure isintended to be defined only by reference to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A self-declaring device installed on a vehicle,comprising: a housing comprising a wireless transceiver having aplurality of operation states and a first portion and a second portionmovable relative to each other, the housing adapted to set a firstoperation state from the plurality of operation states for the wirelesstransceiver based on a position of the first portion relative to thesecond portion; a sensor configured to collect data from inside thevehicle; and a microcontroller coupled to both the sensor and thewireless transceiver and configured to: identify a second operationstate of the plurality of operation states for the wireless transceiverbased on the collected data; and communicate a signal indicative of theidentified operation state.
 2. The self-declaring device of claim 1,wherein the first portion comprises the wireless transceiver and thesecond portion comprises at least one antenna section that couples tothe wireless transceiver based on the position of the first portionrelative to the second portion.
 3. The self-declaring device of claim 1,wherein the first portion comprises a first triangular shaped member andthe second portion comprises a second triangular shaped memberinterfaced with the first triangular shaped member.
 4. Theself-declaring device of claim 1, wherein one of the first portion andsecond portion is stationary and other portion is rotatable alongitudinal axis between the plurality of positions, the first portionand second portion aligned along the longitudinal axis.
 5. Theself-declaring device of claim 4, wherein self-declaring device isdisposed within the vehicle and the stationary portion is affixed to asurface of the vehicle, wherein the stationary portion comprises a colorcoded part indicative of alignment based on the position of the firstportion relative to the second portion.
 6. The self-declaring device ofclaim 4, wherein the other portion comprises a window adapted to displaya visual indicator indicative of the operation state of the wirelesstransceiver.
 7. The self-declaring device of claim 1, wherein the sensorincludes a plurality of sensors of the same type or a combination ofdifferent types of sensors, wherein the types of sensors includepressure sensors, motion sensors, infrared (IR) sensors, and imagesensors.
 8. The self-declaring device of claim 1, wherein the wirelesstransceiver includes one of the following: a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) module, a WI-FI module, a ZigBee module, and aBluetooth® module.
 9. The self-declaring device of claim 1, where themicrocontroller is further configured to: determine occupancy dataindicative of the number of occupants in the vehicle based at least inpart on the data collected by the sensor; and identify the secondoperation state based on the occupancy data.
 10. The self-declaringdevice of claim 9, wherein the occupancy data includes a determinationof a number of occupants in the vehicle and whether the number ofoccupants in the vehicle exceeds a predetermined threshold number ofoccupants.
 11. The self-declaring device of claim 9, where themicrocontroller is further configured to: confirm that the identifiedsecond operation state corresponds to the first operation state that isbased on the position of the second portion relative to the firstportion; and communicate with a reader of an external system via thewireless transceiver based on the confirmation.
 12. The self-declaringdevice of claim 11, wherein, when the first operation state correspondsto the identified second operation state, the microcontroller is furtherconfigured to: communicate with the reader via the first operation statefor the wireless transceiver corresponding to the position of the secondportion relative to the first portion.
 13. The self-declaring device ofclaim 11, wherein, when the first operation state does not correspond tothe identified second operation state, the microcontroller is furtherconfigured to: communicate to the reader, via the wireless transceiver,an error signal indicative that the first operation state does notcorrespond to the identified second operation state.
 14. Theself-declaring device of claim 11, wherein, when the first operationstate does not correspond to the identified second operation state, themicrocontroller is further configured to: turn the wireless transceiverfrom an ON state to an OFF state, wherein first operation statecorresponds to an ON state.
 15. The self-declaring device of claim 1,further comprising a another transceiver, wherein the microcontroller isfurther configured to: communicate the signal indicative of theidentified second operation state to a reader of an external system. 16.The self-declaring device of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiverincludes an RFID transponder configured to selectively operate atmultiple frequencies based on the position of the first portion relativeto the second portion, the multiple frequencies comprising a firstoperating frequency and a second operating frequency for communicatingwith the reader.
 17. The self-declaring device of claim 16, wherein thefirst operating frequency is a high-frequency and the second operatingfrequency is an ultra-high frequency.
 18. A device installed on avehicle, comprising: a housing comprising a wireless transceiver havinga plurality of operation states and a first portion and a second portionmovable amongst a plurality of position relative to each other, thehousing adapted to set an operation state from the plurality ofoperation states for the wireless transceiver for communication with areader of an electronic toll collection (ETC) system based on moving thefirst portion amongst the a plurality of positions relative to thesecond portion; a sensor configured to collect data from inside thevehicle; and a microcontroller coupled to both the sensor and thewireless transceiver and configured to: determine occupancy dataindicative of the number of occupants in the vehicle based at least inpart on the data collected by the sensor; confirm the set operationstate corresponds to the number of occupants in the vehicle based on theoccupancy data; and communicate a signal indicative of whether the setoperation state corresponds to the number of occupants in the vehicle.19. The device of claim 18, wherein the occupancy data includes adetermination of a number of occupants in the vehicle and whether thenumber of occupants in the vehicle exceeds a predetermined thresholdnumber of occupants.
 20. The device of claim 18, wherein the signal iscommunicated to the ETC system via at least one of the wirelesstransceiver or a separate wireless transceiver.